APPLETON - Milwaukee County Judge Joe Donald said he has "no problem" with any Wisconsinite, even those affiliated with political parties, from gathering signatures for his Supreme Court campaign.

"What I'm trying to do is win the seat," he told Post-Crescent Media in an interview Monday. "I'm not running against Republicans, or running for Democrats, or running against Democrats, I'm running to bring true independence to the court.

"If people are willing to help me get my name out, I have no problem with that ... I'd be OK with anyone who is registered (and) legally able to circulate papers."

Last month, Donald's campaign outed the Wisconsin Republican Party for helping gather signatures for Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, one of Donald's competitors for the seat.

Bradley has been appointed twice by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: to the state Court of Appeals last May, and to the high court in September after the death of Justice N. Patrick Crooks.

The primary for the race will be held Feb. 16, with the general election April 5.

Donald was in Appleton Monday night for a holiday party with the Outagamie County Democratic Party, but said he'd go to meetings or events for either party "in a heartbeat."

He also noted that he was first appointed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican, while garnering support for his Supreme Court campaign from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, former Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl, and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee.

During the interview with Post-Crescent Media, Donald also addressed the ratings he received from Gannett Wisconsin Media's judicial evaluation series that was published earlier this month.

Donald was rated as a "moderately lenient" judge in Milwaukee County, where he's served the last 20 years as a circuit court judge.

Of the attorneys Gannett Wisconsin Media anonymously surveyed, Donald had a 4.5 rating on a scale of 1-5 — with 5 being the highest — on his communication, impartiality, legal ability and professionalism.

"Based on the numbers you've given me, I'd say that's a pretty good rating there," he said. "It's an indication of what kind of judge I am, and what kind of justice I'd be."

Ratings for his opponents — Bradley and Court of Appeals Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg — were not included because the analysis focused only on circuit court judges.